hello,
@AMiller and welcome.
There are plenty of folks here that understand what you are going through, and yes, fibro does affect other/all parts of our lives. How can it not?
First thing I am going to suggest is that you stop drinking alcohol. While it may numb the pain temporarily, it is doing you more harm than good and that is a road you really dont want to stay on.
Second suggestion is checking out
this post for alternative suggestions for managing your fibro. There are no "quick fix" solutions, but over time you
can make things better. It does require commitment and effort on your part, tho. Learning what works for you, what doesn't, and learning to pace yourself will do you more good than any drugs or alcohol ever could.
As you have already found out, drugs are rarely beneficial for us fibromites, however, some supplements can help, but again, it takes time to trial things to figure out if they are going to work for you - what works for one, may not work for another, so trialing is the only way to find out for sure. Also, working with your primary doctor and checking vitamin, mineral and hormone levels is a good idea. Interestingly, many of us have, or have had, low Vitamin D levels.. mine was very low.
Also, managing other medical issues is a big key here. I have fibro, but I also have COPD and osteoarthritis in my neck (severe), lumbar region (moderate) and hands (moderate to severe). Managing my COPD is important, but so is managing the arthritis pain (which is different from the fibro pain).. I have had injections and RF ablation in the lumbar region that has helped that area a great deal... still working out what to do with the neck - test injections did not do much, so have to rethink things there. The arthritis there causes burning/stabbing pains and a general numbness in my shoulders, arms and hands..
My hands flare up sometimes so badly that it hurts to type (or do much of anything really) About the only thing that feels good at times like that is hot water (heat in general) - and i do take some Tylenol Arthritis when they get really bad, but it is not something i take every day.. i only take it when i really need to.
In relation to the fibro, i have IBS issues.. dietary changes have helped that a fair bit.. i dont get nearly as bloated/gassy feeling any more. Yes, there is more I can do in that regard, but it takes time.
gentle stretching/exercise is also good for us.. not moving at all is bad. There are lots of youtube videos for stretching and gentle exercise for people like us... but the biggest thing is to start SLOW and gradually build... only stretch to the point of feeling it, but not painful. Yeah, i know, everything is painful.. but there is a difference between the generalized pain of fibro and pain from stretching too much.
And dont feel like you have to hold the stretch for the recommended time right away.. many will say to hold it for 30 seconds.. that may be too long to start out with.. holding for 10 might be enough.. but over time, slowly build up to that 30... so, week 1, hold for 10 seconds, week 2 bump up to holding for 15 seconds, week 3 up to 20 seconds, etc... The point is to do it regularly, and build a tolerance over time.
I hope you find some relief but know you are not alone, and we do "get it" here.